Radja Nainggolan – on an accidental Edin Dzeko assist – wiped out Ivan Perisic’s opener as Roma were held 1-1 by Inter.
This was a showdown for the Champions League between third-placed Roma, coming off eight consecutive victories, and Inter in fourth.
Edin Dzeko was dropped for Diego Perotti as a False 9, while Antonio Rudiger returned from injury. The Nerazzurri missed Mauro Icardi, Stevan Jovetic, Geoffrey Kondogbia and the suspended Rodrigo Palacio.
Inter’s last Serie A victory away to Roma was all the way back in October 2008, followed by three draws and as many defeats.
It was a very lively start from the hosts, as Perotti drilled over after a rapid passing move, while Ivan Perisic’s volley was decisively charged down by Alessandro Florenzi.
Yuto Nagatomo crucially intercepted a Stephan El Shaarawy roll across for Mohamed Salah and Roma poured forward early on. Inter started to emerge from their shell and Eder accidentally handled at the end of a passing move, then Wojciech Szczesny smothered an Adem Ljajic strike.
Perisic cut in from the left to curl right-footed over the bar, while Salah had the ball in the back of the net after a magnificent first touch and lob, but he was just offside.
El Shaarawy and Salah combined in the box for the Little Pharaoh’s volley, drawing a great save out of Samir Handanovic from 10 yards, while Salah’s ball flashed across the six-yard area with nobody there to meet it.
It was Inter who broke the deadlock after the restart, as Perisic ran on to a Marcelo Brozovic through ball and picked his spot for a precise left-foot angled drive into the far bottom corner. Wojciech Szczesny got a hand to it, but wasn’t strong enough to keep it out.
Luciano Spalletti changed system, throwing on Dzeko for Seydou Keita, while a Miralem Pjanic free kick was deflected over after the Bosnian got a kick in the forehead from Medel.
Handanovic got down to beat a towering Dzeko header round the base of the upright, but replays from a different angle showed Joao Miranda clearly deflected it with his hand well above his head, so that should’ve been a penalty for Roma.
Moments later the ex-Manchester City striker ballooned over from close range at a tight angle, as he massively over-hit the finish.
Miranda decisively got in front of Dzeko to prevent a header after great build-up work from Pjanic and Florenzi, El Shaarawy hit the side-netting and Handanovic used his legs to parry a Salah strike from close range.
Dzeko thought he had drawn level with a looping header from a corner, but it was cleared off the line by Nagatomo.
The siege eventually paid off in bizarre circumstances, as Dzeko’s mis-kick from the edge of the box was so bad that it turned into an assist for Nainggolan to slide in and fire home from 10 yards.
Dzeko accidentally charged down a Salah curler that was headed for the far top corner and Nainggolan’s volley flashed wide.
This was a showdown for the Champions League between third-placed Roma, coming off eight consecutive victories, and Inter in fourth.
Edin Dzeko was dropped for Diego Perotti as a False 9, while Antonio Rudiger returned from injury. The Nerazzurri missed Mauro Icardi, Stevan Jovetic, Geoffrey Kondogbia and the suspended Rodrigo Palacio.
Inter’s last Serie A victory away to Roma was all the way back in October 2008, followed by three draws and as many defeats.
It was a very lively start from the hosts, as Perotti drilled over after a rapid passing move, while Ivan Perisic’s volley was decisively charged down by Alessandro Florenzi.
Yuto Nagatomo crucially intercepted a Stephan El Shaarawy roll across for Mohamed Salah and Roma poured forward early on. Inter started to emerge from their shell and Eder accidentally handled at the end of a passing move, then Wojciech Szczesny smothered an Adem Ljajic strike.
Perisic cut in from the left to curl right-footed over the bar, while Salah had the ball in the back of the net after a magnificent first touch and lob, but he was just offside.
El Shaarawy and Salah combined in the box for the Little Pharaoh’s volley, drawing a great save out of Samir Handanovic from 10 yards, while Salah’s ball flashed across the six-yard area with nobody there to meet it.
It was Inter who broke the deadlock after the restart, as Perisic ran on to a Marcelo Brozovic through ball and picked his spot for a precise left-foot angled drive into the far bottom corner. Wojciech Szczesny got a hand to it, but wasn’t strong enough to keep it out.
Luciano Spalletti changed system, throwing on Dzeko for Seydou Keita, while a Miralem Pjanic free kick was deflected over after the Bosnian got a kick in the forehead from Medel.
Handanovic got down to beat a towering Dzeko header round the base of the upright, but replays from a different angle showed Joao Miranda clearly deflected it with his hand well above his head, so that should’ve been a penalty for Roma.
Moments later the ex-Manchester City striker ballooned over from close range at a tight angle, as he massively over-hit the finish.
Miranda decisively got in front of Dzeko to prevent a header after great build-up work from Pjanic and Florenzi, El Shaarawy hit the side-netting and Handanovic used his legs to parry a Salah strike from close range.
Dzeko thought he had drawn level with a looping header from a corner, but it was cleared off the line by Nagatomo.
The siege eventually paid off in bizarre circumstances, as Dzeko’s mis-kick from the edge of the box was so bad that it turned into an assist for Nainggolan to slide in and fire home from 10 yards.
Dzeko accidentally charged down a Salah curler that was headed for the far top corner and Nainggolan’s volley flashed wide.
Roma: Szczesny; Florenzi, Rüdiger, Manolas, Digne (Emerson 82); Pjanic, Keita (Dzeko 57), Nainggolan; Salah, Perotti, El Shaarawy (De Rossi 92)
Inter: Handanovic; D’Ambrosio, Miranda, Murillo, Nagatomo; Medel, Brozovic; Biabiany (Manaj 82), Ljajic (Melo 86), Perisic; Eder
Ref: Orsato
